


Playing the Right Cards

by watsonimholmes



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-19
Updated: 2014-01-19
Packaged: 2018-01-09 05:54:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1142259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watsonimholmes/pseuds/watsonimholmes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mia's going to Hell.<br/>But Crowley tells her that if she plays her cards right she'll succeed.<br/>He has no idea how right he is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“I would literally do anything for him.” I told my mom, tears streaming down my cheeks. I looked down at Mason, sleeping in the hospital bed. I could hear the monitor beeping, telling me he was still alive. 

“I know sweetie, but there isn't anything you can do. This is hard for all of us, Mia.” My mother replied softly. I knew it was harder on her than the rest of us. Losing a son, especially like this. 

Mason is 15 years old, and 3 months ago, he was in a car accident. He was walking across the road when a car hit him. He hit his head and has been in a coma ever since. I miss him more than anything. I used to come home from school and tell him about my day, every single day. Now I have no one to talk to. It’s just me and Mom nowadays, and she’s always at work or the hospital anyways. 

“I'm going to get something to eat, do you want anything?” My mom asks me as she gets up to leave the room.

“I'm fine.” I say. She leaves.

I just sit there, holding his hand, wishing that maybe today could be the day. Today he would wake up. It’ll happen. 

“Maybe it will happen. Depends on what you are willing to do.” I hear a strange voice say. Startled, I jump out of my chair, dropping my brother’s hand. 

“Who are you? Why are you in here, this isn't your room!” I say. “How did you know what I was thinking?” 

The man rolls his eyes. He is a balding mid-sized man, dressed in a three piece suit. “You were talking out loud. I can do a lot, but I can’t read minds.” He says. I notice his strong British accent. 

“Who are you?” I say, more calmly this time. 

“Crowley, King of Hell. Nice to meet you.” he takes a step forward, and hold out his hand. I just stare at it, speechless. After a moment he sighs and puts down his hand. “You know who I am, no need to look so surprised.”

“Can you help him?” I ask, gesturing to Mason. Crowley smiles. 

“Of course I can. Would I be here if I couldn't?” 

He has a point. 

“But,” he continues, “It depends on what you are willing to do.” 

“Anything.” I say immediately, and Crowley smiles. 

“In ten years, I’ll be back to collect something from you. Don't wor-” he starts to say, but I cut him off. 

“I know exactly what you want. I’ll give it to you. Just save him.” 

“Okay, okay. I was getting there. Calm down, Mia.”

“How do you know my name? I never told you.” 

Crowley just smiles. He walks until he is looming over me. Putting his hand underneath my chin, he says, “Now I assume you know how these deals are sealed.” 

I nod softly. He lowers his face to mine and softly kisses me. He tastes like nothing. 

He pulls away and walks over to stand beside my brother. He puts his hand on Masons head and a soft glow spreads over his body. Crowley lifts his hand and walks from the room. He pauses at the door. 

“See you in ten years.” He says, and without seeing his face, I know he’s smiling. 

Behind me I hear Mason waking up, and I could care less about the man who just walked out the door. I’ve done the right thing. 

~Ten years later ~

Mason sits beside me on my front porch. I'm 27 now, I went to school, had a life. But that’s all over now.

“It’s tomorrow isn't it.” He says, with tears in his eyes. 

I just nod. He knows everything. Mason and I have known about the supernatural world since before I met Crowley. Our father was a hunter. 

“You shouldn't have done this.” He says, for the millionth time in the past month.

“But I did, and you are here because of it. I don’t regret a thing. I refuse to spend my last day crying and feeling sorry for myself. We are going to go inside and have a great time, and that's that, okay?” I say, standing up. Mason wipes his tears. 

I leave him sitting on the front porch. 

~*~

I spend my last day with my family. Mason, my mother and I have a wonderful dinner and then they go home. I stay up, watching the clock. 11:57... 11:58... 11:59. 

Only one more minute now. I wonder how I will go. Will the hellhounds come for me? Will I see Crowley again? 

I think of that day in the hospital. He looked so young. Will he look the same? He should, he is a demon after all. I think of the moment when he kissed me. At the time I thought he would taste of ash and death, but he didn't. He didn't taste like anything. 

Lastly I think of my father. 

Such a brave man. He died trying to save us from a vampire. The vamp died in the end, but my dad was bitten. He shot himself. I was 5. 

If he knew what I’d done, he would kill me before Crowley ever got to me. 

A knock on the door wakes me from my reverie. My legs are so shaky I almost can’t walk to get it. I open the door, and before me stands the man I made a deal with exactly ten years ago. 

“I would have just walked in, but knocking seemed so much more polite.” He says, walking past me into my house. “Miss me?” 

I say nothing. My heart threatens to beat its way out of my chest, and I can feel my stomach rising. 

“I guess not. Well, today’s the day then. Usually I’d send the hell hounds but you story was just so... touching.” Crowley said as he played with the flowers sitting a small side table.  
He was terrifying. So calm, collected. But minutes from now I am going to die, and spend eternity in Hell. He looked up at me, expecting me to say something. I still stayed silent. I was afraid that if I opened my mouth I would vomit. 

“You don’t have to be so scared, you know.” He said, taking a few steps towards me. “If you play your cards right, you could succeed in Hell.” He takes his hand and places it on my cheek. “Still so beautiful.” He says, almost so quiet I can’t hear him. One of his hands moves to the back of my neck and the other cups my cheek. He leans towards me. My heart beats faster. This isn't how this goes. He doesn't get to kiss me again. But I don’t pull away. Inches from my face, Crowley smiles. 

“See you in Hell.”

He moves his hands and the last thing I hear is the crunching of my bones, and suddenly everything is black.


	2. Chapter 2

The room I wake up in is dark and damp. I feel around me and I can tell it’s made out of stone. My eyes adjust to the darkness, and I can see chains on the walls. It takes me a few moments to remember where I am. My heart almost stops when I do remember. 

Suddenly the whole room is bright. I shield my eyes with arm, groaning with pain from the sudden change. 

A man I don’t recognize walks into the room. He lifts me up and chains me to the wall. 

The room I am in resembles a dungeon. It’s large, round and made of stone. Every few meters, there are another set of chains. I count 12 sets of chains hanging from the walls and 5 from the ceiling.

The man in front of me smiles. He just stands there, hands behind his back, staring at me. He slowly raises his hand and snaps his fingers.

Suddenly I see myself in every pair of chains. Unconscious, just hanging there, waiting for the man in front of me to start. He snaps his fingers again and a table appears with knives of all shapes and sizes. He picks one up and smiles.

“Welcome to Hell, sweetie. Not only can we torture you, but we can make you watch.” He says, and moves toward the closest body hanging on the wall. He places the knife in between my breast and presses in until he draws blood. 

I can feel it. I can feel the knife on my skin, even though he is across the room. When I look down I can see the blood trailing down my stomach. He slowly starts to pull the blade down.

I scream until my throat is raw and my lungs are empty, squirming and trying anything to get out of the chains. 

By the end of the day there are no more bodies on the walls. 

~*~

The first thing I feel when I come back to consciousness is the cold. And my face is wet. But my body doesn't hurt. I look down and there aren't any scars either. I'm strangely happy for a moment when I remember why I don’t have any scars. Then I realize I am not alone. 

“Enjoy your first day in Hell, Love?” Crowley asks. He is standing in the middle of the room with an empty bucket. 

“More than anything.” I say venomously. I refuse to give him the satisfaction of seeing me weak. “If you unchain me we could both enjoy my second day here.” I think for a moment. This is Crowley after all. So I add, “Or you could not unchain me and we could both enjoy my second day here.” 

Crowley laughs. “Well, well, well. Not the innocent 17 year old trying to save her brother anymore, are you? Willing to offer yourself up like that.” He shakes his head disapprovingly. “You think you're the first one to try that? It’s not going to work, Love. I don’t have a heart.”

“This isn't about hearts, Crowley. You said it yourself. I could succeed here if I play my cards right.” 

“You are playing the wrong card.” Crowley says, but he sighs and snaps his fingers, effectively removing the chains. The skin on my wrists and ankles is rubbed raw, it feels as if there isn't any left.

“Am I though? Do you make house calls for Hell on everyone’s date? Or just the pretty ones?” I tease.

“I enjoyed snapping your neck. I loved the feeling beneath my finger tips. Your brother came by the house the next day. He cried over your body, and I watched. It gives me such satisfaction to watch the pain you inflicted on your loved ones.”

“I didn't inflict any pain!” I scream at him. “I saved my brother and there is not a moment I don’t regret that. Nothing you say will ever change that.” 

Crowley just smiles. 

“We’ll see about that.” 

He starts to walk out of the room. 

“Wait!” I call after him. “Aren't you supposed to offer me a deal or something?” 

Crowley laughs. “Oh, I had you all wrong, didn't I, Love. I didn't think you’d be interested. Almost nobody gives in on the first day.”

I get up off the floor and walk over to him. 

“Let me tell you something, Crowley.” I sneer. “I am not the girl you met in the hospital ten years ago. I am not weak, and I am not stupid. And I don’t give a fuck about complete strangers. I’ll torture them everyday just to not go through that again.” 

Crowley is speechless. For a moment, he just cocks his head, watching me. his mouth forms into a half smile. 

“Is that a flicker of black I see in your eyes?” he asks me.

“What?” 

“You’ll see soon enough.” Crowley says, smiling. He turns away to face the door. “You start tomorrow. Beware of the cards you are playing, Mia.” 

I smile to myself after he’s gone. He has no idea what’s coming.

~*~

Apparently the dead still sleep. The chains have disappeared from my dungeon room and now a cot sits in the middle. The walls are lined with weapons of all shapes and sizes. I was told that I will pick one, and then I’ll be randomly transported to another cell, for a full days’ torture. They didn't need to tell me what would happen if I didn't torture. 

I lie on the cot and think of my brother. What's he doing now? Have they had my funeral yet? I wonder what he thinks of me. For a while he hated me. He couldn't believe what I’d done. Couldn't believe what I’d given up. ‘All for nothing’ he’d told me. 

The car crash hadn't been an accident. Mason stepped out in front of the car. He’d wanted to die. But I wouldn't let him. Mason was so angry that I’d given up my life, because he believed he wasn't worth it. Took me years to convince him otherwise. Sometimes I think he still doesn't believe it, but he just told he did so I’d be at peace when I died. 

I fall asleep thinking of my family, a smile on my face.


End file.
